I began with Katherine Swynford. Now I’m following her descendants, the people around Edward II and the places where their stories still leave traces.
Here you’ll find my visits, photographs and the questions behind my books. Choose a story to begin, or browse every article below.
Fotheringhay and its royal lives
A church, a vanished castle and the Neville family behind the royal names.
Eleanor Neville at Northampton
The battlefield and the losses that shaped a woman at the heart of my next book.
Latest articles
Newest first. For a route through the people and themes, visit Medieval Lives.
A New Home for a Changing Year
In January, I began a blog about Katherine Swynford as a New Year project. I wanted somewhere to share the…
After John of Gaunt: Katherine Swynford’s Last Four Years
The Priory Katherine’s home for the last years of her life John of Gaunt died on 3 February 1399. Katherine…
Katherine Swynford’s Forgotten Children: The Family Before the Beauforts
When we think of Katherine Swynford as a mother, it is almost inevitably the Beaufort children who come to mind.…
Why Katherine Swynford Led Me to Eleanor Neville
What am I working on now?” The answer is that I have been incredibly fortunate. My biography of Joan Beaufort,…
Katherine Swynford: Two Biographies, Twenty Years On
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the publication of Jeannette Lucraft’s Katherine Swynford: The History of a Medieval Mistress. Alison…
Walking with Katherine: Facts, Footsteps and Finding the Story
Kettlethorpe Churchyard Last week I had the pleasure of leading a walk for the Lincoln Bailgate U3A Walking Group around…
